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| Axel Lehrer in his lab at the John A. Burns School of Medicine. Photo Credit: University of Hawaiʻi |
The Core Concept: Researchers have successfully demonstrated the efficacy of multiple thermostable vaccine candidates targeting three deadly filoviruses—Ebola, Sudan, and Marburg—in non-human primates.
Key Distinction/Mechanism: Unlike traditional vaccines that require strict refrigeration (the cold chain), these vaccines are thermostabilized within single vials, allowing them to remain shelf-stable and viable in environments with uncertain or nonexistent power supplies.
Major Frameworks/Components:
- Multivalent Formulation: The ability to combine multiple antigens in a single formulation to generate broad protective immunity against distinct viral strains.
- Thermostabilization Platform: A specialized manufacturing process that produces heat-stable vaccines requiring no refrigeration or freezing.
- Adaptable Technology: A foundational vaccine platform currently being leveraged to develop stabilizing protocols for other pathogens, including SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19).
Branch of Science: Immunology, Virology, Medical Microbiology, Pharmacology, and Tropical Medicine.
Future Application: The platform is positioned to enable rapid, worldwide vaccination campaigns for future health emergencies. It supports the development of prototype vaccines against the top 20 pandemic-causing viral families and is actively being adapted for emerging COVID-19 variants.
Why It Matters: Filoviruses are highly lethal and endemic to developing regions where maintaining a cold chain is a significant logistical hurdle. A shelf-stable vaccine ensures equitable distribution and enables rapid deployment to halt localized outbreaks before they escalate into global pandemics.
Researchers at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa John A. Burns School of Medicine (JABSOM) have
demonstrated the efficacy in monkeys of multiple vaccine candidates targeting three filoviruses causing life-threatening infections to humans: Ebola virus, Sudan virus and Marburg virus. The new findings were published in Frontiers in Immunology.Associate Professor Axel Lehrer of the Department of Tropical Medicine, Medical Microbiology and Pharmacology leads the JABSOM team, working in collaboration on this project with late-stage biopharmaceutical company Soligenix, Inc., and with the local development partner, Hawaii Biotech, Inc. The team also reported another breakthrough in demonstrating successful thermostabilization in single vials of Filovirus vaccines in Vaccine.
“Filoviruses are endemic in areas of the world where the power supply can be uncertain, making a thermostable vaccine particularly valuable,” said Lehrer. “Our work to date has demonstrated not only the feasibility of rapid and efficient manufacturing, but also the applicability of thermostabilization of multiple antigens with the potential for a broadly applicable and easily distributed vaccine.”
Lehrer’s work has focused on creating shelf-stable vaccines that require no refrigeration or freezing, which is key to eradicating viruses in tropical countries, and allows equitable distribution of much needed vaccines to communities around the globe.
According to Lehrer, once developed, such a vaccine may be able to rapidly address emerging outbreaks, such as the Marburg virus infection that appeared in Guinea recently. The collaborators believe that this technology may be an important contribution to National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Director Anthony Fauci’s proposed idea to develop prototype vaccines against the top 20 viral families that may also cause pandemics.
“Having such a platform available would likely enable broader and faster worldwide vaccination campaigns addressing future health emergencies. In addition, the ability to combine antigens in the formulation also enables generation of potentially broader protective vaccines,” Lehrer said.
COVID-19 vaccine update
Since March 2020, Lehrer has also been working with Soligenix on a promising thermostable COVID-19 vaccine. “While much progress has been made since the initial announcement of our collaborative research, we are actively working on further analysis if the neutralizing potential of the vaccine candidate against a number of virus variants,” he said. The vaccine is being developed using the same thermostable platform that was used for filovirus vaccines and has demonstrated promising results in mice and non-human primates.
Published in journal: Frontiers in Immunology
Authors: Axel T. Lehrer, Eleanore Chuang, Madhuri Namekar, Caitlin A. Williams, Teri Ann S. Wong, Michael M. Lieberman, Alex Granados, John Misamore, Jake Yalley-Ogunro, Hanne Andersen, Joan B. Geisbert, Krystle N. Agans, Robert W. Cross, Thomas W. Geisbert
Source/Credit: University of Hawaiʻi
Reference Number: med083121_01